Road machinery



Sept. 23 1924. 1,509,797

VV. L. TIDVVPQEER ROAD MACHINERY Filed Oct. 1, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSES INVENTOR le LTowner Sept. 23 1924.

1,509,797 w. L. TOWN ER ROAD MACHINERY Filed Oct. 1, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 M/VEIVTDR To Wner,

l1 TTOBNEYS Sept. 23. 1924. 1,509,797

W. L. TQWNER ROAD MACHINERY Filed Oct. 1, 192] 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lmmnumumig MQWM 9%.

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept, 23, 19234.

UNITED STATES WALTER LANDON TOWNER, OF MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA.

ROAD MACHINERY.

Application filed October 1, 1921. Serial No. 504,71.

To all whom it may concern-Q Be it known that I, WALTER LANDON Townnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Muskogee, in the county of Muskogee and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to road machinery, and more particularly to an improved road drag especially adapted to use in the construction and maintenance of roads.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved road drag of the character whichwill be effective to release, distribute and pack the material composing the road, and which is easily controllable by the operator to render active or inactive the va rious instrumentalities embodied in the machine or to vary their action with respect either to the character or extent thereof. Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a detail view, in side elevation of the controlling supporting means for the angular scraper Figuret is a detail view in transverse section of the vertical supporting member for the scraper and its guide and is taken on line 4t-4l of Figure 3; l

Figure 5 is a detail view, partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrating the means for connecting or coupling the scraper to its vertically adjustable supporting mem- Figure 6 is a detail view in transverse section on line 6-6 of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a similar view on line 7- 7 of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a detail View, in side elevation, of the braking mechanism; Figure 9 is a View on line 9-9 of Figure '8; and

Figure 10 is a view, in rear elevation, of the braking mechanism and of the rack and pinion mechanism, the associated parts of the frame being shownin section.

Referring to the drawings wherein for the sake of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates the main frame which includes converging side bars 11 secured to each other at their forward or front ends by means of a plate 12 and connected at their rear end by means of a cross bar 13. Running gear is provided for the frame and includes front wheels 16 and rear wheels 17, the front wheels 16 being mounted on a swinging truck 18 to which the draw bar is connected. i A pair of angularly arranged scraper elements or blades, designated generally at 19, is suspended from or carried by the, main frame 10 intermediate its front and rear ends. These angularly arranged scraping elements converge inwardly toward, each other and have their inner ends spaced and arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the frame. A third scraper blade 20 is arrangedto the rear of the pair of scraper blades 19 and extends substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the machine or may be set at an angle other than a right angle.

Means is provided for independently supporting or controlling each of the scraper blades as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The means for supporting and controlling each of the scraper blades 19 0f the forward pair is identical. and a description of one of such means will serve as a description for both. This means comprises a vertically ad justable support or standard, preferably in the form of an Lbeam 21 carried by the main frame of the machine and connected at 'its lower end to the scraper blade 19 so that the blade may be moved horizontally and vertically under the action of the controlling means as will presently appear.

Referring now more especially to Figures 1, 8, 5 and 6 it will be seen that each of the scraper blades 19 is reinforced by a channel beam 22 connected to the scraper blade by fastening means 23 and having an angle beam 24 secured toits base and including a vertical flange 25 and a horizontal flange 26 Thelower end of the standard 21 carries a yoke-shaped bracket '27 having spaced upper and lower apertured arms 28 between a recess of the pin.

' .secured to the main frame and which a block 29 is received. The block 29 is provided with a vertically extending opening 30 therethrough and is also provided with a horizontally extending opening or bore 31 having its axis substantially at right angles to the aXis'of the vertical opening for a section of its length. The bore 31 operatively receives a heavy pin 32 integral with anangle bracket 33, the arms 34 and 35 of which are engaged with and secured to thecha-nnel member 22 and the vertical flange 25 of the scraper blade,

.respectively. The periphery of the pin 32 is provided with a circumferentially eX- tending crescent-shaped recess 36 which, in theassembly, is contiguous with the intersectlng section of the -open1ng30 so as to be complementary thereto and to define therewith an opening circular in cross section. A king bolt 37 is received in the alined openings of the arms and block, and of the In this manner each scraper blade is supported so as to be free to turn on a vertical axis about the king bolt by virtue of the pivotal mounting of the block 29 thereon and the scraper blade is also free to turn about a horizontal axis through an arc of limited angular extent by virtue of the freedom of the pin 32 to turn which is afforded by the crescentshaped recess therein. v A guide, designated generally at 40 slidably receives the vertically adjustable stand ard 21 and includes angle beams 41 and 42 a channel. beam '43 set in between the angle beams and secured thereto, as shown in Figure 4. The guides 40 may be braced in any suitable manner to give them the necessary strength and rigidity.

A rack 45 is secured to the upper end of the adjustable standard 21 by means of 49 opposite from the pinion ing thereof.

an offset attaching portion 46 and a rivet or bolt47 which extends through the attaching portion and through a flange of the standard 21 whereby the rack 45 is offset from the standard 21 and operates on the outside of the guide which receives the standard. A pinion 48 coacts with the rack 45 and is carried on one end of a short shaft 49 journaled in a bearing 50 provided therefor on a bracket 51 mounted on the guide 40. On the end of the short shaft 48 a hand wheel 52 is fixed. The hand wheel includes a smooth-rim 53 and a plurality of inwardly ,extending grips 54 which facilitate the turn- Braking mechanism, desig nated generally at 55 is provided and coacts with the hand wheel to releasably maintain the hand wheel to any position to which it maybe adjusted. The braking mechanism includes a brake shoe 56 having guards 56" and carried by a spring bar 57 fulcrumed on an angle bar 58 carried by the the controlling shaft trolling shaft 67 raises or frame and adjustably connected at one end by a bolt and nut 58 to a second angle bar 58". The bar includes a portion 59 hirmed to constitute a foot lever. It is obvious that when the foot lever 59 is depressed the spring bar is flexed about its fulcrum 56 so as to carry the brake shoe 56 away from the hand wheel. lVhen the foot lever 51) is released the spring bar at once returns the brake shoe into engagement with the hand wheel. The guards 56 prevent lateral displacement of the brake shoe and the bolt and nut 58 provide a means whereby the braking action may be regulated. \Vhen the hand wheel 52 is turned the short shaft 49 and the pinion 48 fixed thereto are rotated and this rotation of the pinion imparts a rectilinear movement to the rack 45 with which the pinion is meshed. The

movement of the rack is directly imparted to the vertically adjustable standard to which the rack is fixed. In this manner the vertical position of the scraper blade 19 which is carried by the standard 21 may be varied as desired.

Means is provided for controlling the swinging movement and the position of the scraper blades in both horizontal and vertical planes. This means includes a fixed yoke 60 secured to the upper end of the vertically adjustable standard 21 and having vertically spaced apertured arms 61 between which a swinging yoke 62 is received and to which this swinging yoke is pivotally connected by means of a pivot bolt 63.

he swinging yoke 62 carries a nut 64 hav ing trunnions 65 mounted in suitable bearings provided therefor in the swinging yoke 62 whereby the nut is swivelled on the swinging yoke. It is to be noted that the axis of rotation of the swinging yoke is vertical and that the axis of rotation of the swivelled nut is horizontal or at right; angles to the axis of swing of the yoke 62. The nut 64 includes a threaded bearing which cooperates with a screw 66 provided on a controlling shaft 67, the upper end of which carries a hand wheel 68 and the lower end of which is pivotally connected to the scraper blade intermediate its ends. The pivotal connection of the controlling shaft to the scraper blade is preferably embodied in the form of a bracket 68 secured to the scraper blade assembly and having pivotal connection, as at 69, with a frame rotatably connected with the controlling shaft 67 to provide a swivel connection between and the scraper blade. It is obvious that by turning the hand wheel 68 the controlling-shaft '67 is moved longitudinally by the action of the screw 66 formedthereon and the threadedbcaring of the nut 64. This movement of the conlowers the scraper blade .19 accordingly as the controlling lit) lOO

lit)

shaft is turned in the one or the other direction and thus provides for varying the vertical angle or inclination of the scraper blade.

For the purpose of varying the horizontal angle or inclination a rotatable control rod 71 is mounted in bearings 72 provided therefor on the standard 21. The upper end of the control rod carries a hand crank 7 3 and the lower end carries a crank arm 7a which is connected at its outer end by a short chain 75 to a bracket 76 connected with the scraper blade at a point spaced from the connection of the scraper blade with the standard 21. As the hand crank 78 is turned the control rod 71 is rotated to swing the crank arm 7 4c atthe lower end thereof and the movement of the crank arm, which is in a horizontal plane, is imparted to the scraper blade by means of the short chain 7 5 and brackets 76.

A chain 80 is connectedat one end to the scraper blade 19 and its links are selectively connected at the opposite end to a hook 81 carried by the forward'end of the main frame. A similar chain 82 is connected, as at 83, with the scraper blade and is adjustably connected as at 84: to the rear end of the main frame.

An anti-skidding device 85 is arranged at the rear of the machine.

The machine is well adapted, though not restricted, to the reshaping or reconstruction of earth roads that have been first graded and have been allowed to deteriorate. In any event, in practice, the members of the forward pair of scraper blades are set in the desired vertical position by manipulating the hand wheel 52. The vertical angle or inclination of the scraper blade is readily varied by manipulating the hand wheel 68 and the horizontal angle or inclination is varied by turning the hand crank 73. It is to be noted that the vertical position of the scraper blade may at all times be varied without varying the angularity in either plane, since the supporting member 21, controlling shaft 67 and the section of the scraper blade assembly between the supporting standard 21 and the control shaft 67 constitutes a triangle or truss arrangement.

When adjusted as desired, the machine is advanced along the road by any suitable source of power and the material of the road is cut or released and distributed by the scrapers 19 which dig away the high and fill the low places in the road so as to even it. A certain amount of the material cutby the scrapers 19 is fed toward and between the inner ends of the scraper blades at the center of the machine and the material thus fed is received by the rear scraper blade and distributed and packed by it since the rear scraper blade can be so pitched or inclined as to pack the material when this is desired.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the fact that its use upon a road orupon the repair of one-half the road does not block the traflic along the other half of the road, as when it is desired to permit a vehicle to pass, the interfering or obstructing angular scraper blade 19 may be at once swung inwardly and under the machine, the chain 82 being released to permit this action. After the vehicle has passed the scraper blade may be returned to operative position by turning the hand crank 73 which swings it back on the king bolt 37. The capacity for and the facility of adjustment above described endows the machine with an adaptability of the various kinds of roadwork.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention is herein shown and described it is to be understood that various changes in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the'scope of the appended claims, it being particularly understood that other mechanism other than the rack and pinion mechanism may be utilized for adjusting the standard 21 and mechanism other than the screw shaftand nut may be utilized for effecting adjustment of the controlling shaft 67.

I claim:

1. In a road drag, a frame, a pair of an gularly arranged scraper blades, independent means for adjusting each scraper blade and including a standard carried by said frame, rack and pinion mechanism for ad justing said standard, means for pivotally connecting the scraper blade to the standard whereby it can be swung vertically and horizontally, means for adjusting the stand ard vertically including a fixed yoke carried by the upper end of the standard, a

swinging yoke carried by the fixed yoke, a nut having trunnions journaled in the swinging yoke, a controlling shaft having a screw engaged with the nut, a hand wheel on the upper end of said cont rolling shaft and a swivelled connection. between the lower end of the controlling shaft and the scraper blade, and means for adjusting the scraper blade horizontally including a rotatable control rod mounted on the standard and having a handle at its upper end, and a crank arm at its lower end connected with the scraper blade.

2. In a road drag, a frame, a pair of angularly arranged scraper blades, independent means for adjusting each member of said pair of scraper blades including a standard, rack and pinion mechanism for adjusting said standard, means for pivotally connecting the scraper blade to the standard where- .gularly arranged by it can be swung vertically, and means for adjusting said scraper blade vertically including a fixed yoke carried by the upper end of the standard, a swinging yoke carried by the fixed yoke, a nut having trunnions journaled on the fixed yoke, a controlling shaft having a screw engaged with the nut, a hand wheel on the upper end of the controlling shaft, and a swivelled connection between the lower end of the controlling shaft and the scraper blade.

3. Ina road drag, a frame, a pair of anscraper blades, independent means for adjusting each. member of said pair of scraper blades including an adjustable standard carried by the frame, rack and pinion mechanism for adjusting the standard, means for'pivotally connecting the scraper blade to the standard whereby it can be swung horizontally and means for swinging the scraper blade horizontally including a rotatable control shaft carried by the adjust-able standard and having a handle at its upper end, and acrank arm at its lower end connected with the scraper blade.

4:. Means for supporting the scraper blade of a road drag including a yoke shaped bracket having alined openings in its arms, a block received between the arms of said yoke and having a bore extending longitudinally thereof and a vertical open ing alincd with the openings of said arms and intersecting said bore, a pin carried by the scraper blade and received in said bore, said pin having a circumferentially extending crescent shaped recess complementary to the intersecting section of said opening, and a king bolt extending through said alined openings and operative to constrain said block to rotary movement about a vertical axis and to constrain said pin to rotary movement about a horizontal axis.

5. Means for supporting the scraper blade of a road drag including a block having a. bore extending longitudinally thereof and a Vertical opening extending therethrough, having a section intersecting said bore, a. pin carried by the scraper blade and re ceived in the bore of said block, said pin having a circumferentially extending cres cent shaped recess in its periphery complementary to the intersecting section of said block opening and a king bolt extending through said block opening and having a portion lying in the complementary recess of said pin whereby said king bolt is eperative to constrain said block to rotative movement about a vertical axis and to conmounted on the standard strain said pin to rotativc movement aboui a horizontal axis.

6. In a road drag, a frame, a scraper blade, a vertically adjustable standard mounted on said frame, means for connect-- ing the scraper blade to the standard whereby it can be swung horizontally and vertically and an inclined shaft adjustably mounted on the standard and opcrativcly connected with the scraper blade at a point spaced from the connection of the scraper blade to the standard, the standard shaft and a portion of the scraper blade comprehended between the shaft and the standard constituting a truss.

7. In a road drag, a frame, a vertically adjustable standard mounted on the frame, a scraper blade, means for pivotally connecting the scraper blade to the standard whereby it can be swung vertically and horizontally, means for swinging the scraper blade horizontally including a rotatable control shaft carried by the adjustable standard and operatively connected with the scraper blade, and means for adjusting the scraper blade vertically including an inclined shaft adjustably mounted on the standard and operativcly connected with the scraper blade.

8. In a road drag, a frame, a vertical standard mounted on the frame, a scraper blade, means for directly and universally connecting the scraper blade to the standard, means carried by the standard for adjusting the scraper blade horizontally, and means carried by the standard for adjusting the scraper blade vertically.

In a road drag, a frame, av vertically adjustable standard mounted on the frame, a scraper blade, means for universally and directly connecting the scraper blade to the standard, and means for vertically adjust. ing the scraper blade and holding it in adjusted position, including a shaft adjustably and opcrativcly connected with the scraper blade.

'10. In a road drag. a frame, a vertically adjustable standard mounted on the frame, a scraper blade, means for directly and universally mounting the scraper blade on the standard, means for adjusting the scraper bladever-tically and holding the same in adjusted position and including a shaft universally and adjustably mounted on the standard and opcrativcly connected with the scraper blade, and means for adjusting the scraper blade horizontallv.

WALTER LAN-DON 'rowr'nn. 

